Judging the authenticity of photos or videos taken by hunting infrared trigger cameras is an important part of ensuring the reliability of research and monitoring data. Here are some methods that can be used as a reference:
Technical level inspection
Metadata inspection: Check the metadata of the photo or video, including whether the shooting time, date, camera model, resolution and other information are complete and consistent with the actual situation. If the shooting time shown in the metadata is inconsistent with the time set by the camera, or the camera model does not match the actual use, there may be a problem.
Image quality analysis: Real photos and videos usually have natural clarity, color and contrast. If the image is found to be too blurry, the color is abnormally bright or the contrast is too high, it may have been post-processed or modified; at the same time, check whether there are abnormalities such as noise, distortion, ghosting, etc. in the image, which may be caused by abnormal shooting equipment or shooting environment, but may also be signs of post-production forgery.
Video frame rate and coherence: For videos, check whether its frame rate is stable and whether the animal movements in the video are coherent and natural. If the frame rate is unstable or the animal movements show unnatural phenomena such as jumping and freezing, the video may have been edited or tampered with.
Content-level analysis
Animal behavior logic: Observe whether the behavior of animals in photos or videos is consistent with their normal behavior habits and ecological laws. For example, whether the activity time, foraging behavior, social behavior, etc. of animals are consistent with the known behavioral characteristics of the species. If there is unreasonable behavior, such as animals active during the day appearing at night and behaving abnormally, further verification is required.
Environmental background consistency: Carefully check whether the environmental background in photos and videos, including vegetation, terrain, weather, etc., is consistent and consistent with the actual shooting location. If it is found that the type of vegetation in the background does not match the shooting location, or the weather conditions suddenly change in consecutive photos or videos and do not match the actual situation, there may be suspicion of fraud.
Time sequence rationality: If there are multiple photos or multiple video clips, view them in the order of shooting time to check whether the animal's behavior and environmental changes have reasonable time continuity. For example, if an animal is in a certain position in one photo, it should move within a reasonable range in the next photo, rather than jumping or illogical changes in position.
Equipment and shooting process verification
Equipment source and reliability: Confirm whether the hunting infrared trigger camera used is from a formal channel and whether it has quality assurance and a good reputation. Some cameras of low quality or unknown origin may have problems with inaccurate shooting or data that is easily tampered with.
Shooting location and installation: Understand the shooting location and installation method of the camera, and check whether it may be affected by external interference or human operation. If the camera is installed in an unstable position or is easily accessible to others, the risk of data tampering increases; at the same time, check whether there are any abnormal traces or objects around the camera, such as whether there are signs of other people or animals.
Shooting records and logs: Check the camera's shooting records and logs, including information such as the number of triggers, shooting time, and changes in memory card capacity, and check them with the photos and videos taken to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the data. If the shooting records do not match the actual shooting content, there may be data loss or tampering.
Professional identification and comparison
Consult experts: Submit the photos and videos taken to experts or professional institutions in the field of wildlife research for identification. They have rich experience and professional knowledge and can judge the authenticity of photos and videos from multiple angles such as animal behavior and ecological environment.
Compare with known information: Compare the captured content with existing wildlife research materials, pictures, videos, etc. to see if there are similarities or abnormal differences. If the footage is found to be significantly inconsistent with known characteristics and behaviors of the species, further investigation and verification is required.